Moving Picture World (Sep 1916)

2090 THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD September 30, 1916 I M ^.lAAAAAAAAAA ^AAAAAAX? 77ie Motion Picture Exhibitor lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllM^ a. NORTHWEST EXHIBITORS MEET. Special Session Held in Minneapolis Brings Out a Good Attendance of Local Exhibitors — Thomas Furniss Talks. A SPECIAL meeting of the Motion Picture Exhibitors' Association of the Northwest, was held at the West Hotel, Monday, August 28th, at 2 P. M.,_ after a luncheon served in the Pheasant room by the Association for the Twin City exhibitors. There were present James Gilosky, president; Wm. Koenig, secretary; D. G. Rodgers, F. E. Nemeo, Henry Greene, and J. B. Reisman, members of the Executive Committee, and about fifty of the Twin City exhibitors. The meeting was called to order by Mr. Gilosky, who after a short opening speech introduced Thomas Furrass, former member of the executive board of the association, and now chairman of the Executive Board of the Motion Picture Exhibitors' League of America. Mr. Furniss' speech in part follows: I take this opportunity to thank you in person for the many friendly letters I have been unable to answer. I appreciate the good feeling of the Northwest exhibitors, and assure you that my interest in the National League is from no selfish motive, although, as the motion picture industry improves, my business also improves. However, the old guard are anxious to retire and to see new men enter the field. You exhibitors of Minnesota and the Northwest need an organization, a good strong local, for, with so many unfavorable conditions arising, you must be brought together. That is the purpose of this meeting. The national association of the motion picture industry has really sprung from the manufacturer, the exhibitor and the film exchanges. The greatest good accomplished for the industry was at the two expositions held in New York last year, but that meant the failure of the Board of Trade, a manufacturers' organization. At the end of the exposition they found themselves in debt, which they are now paying up pro rata. A number of the big men set aside a sum of $5,000 to be distributed for the purpose of someone devising & means of bringing the industries together. As a result they got together and now have their organisation. They elected five directors, the publicity men elected five, the accessory men elected five, the exchange men elected five and the exhibitors were allowed to elect ten directors. The idea was to bring in every branch affiliated in the industry, organ men, printing men, newspaper men, etc. The spirit was to co-operate, and so every branch of the industry has been thoroughly organized except the miscellaneous class. The motion picture actors were to be included in this miscellaneous class, but they objected to coming in as such, so a committee has been appointed to adjust this matter. When this industry is perfected, wonderful results will be shown. The Motion Picture Exhibitors' League of America has grown to be an institution to which all are anxious to affiliate themselves, but before affiliating with the national organization one must be a member of good standing in the local organization. There are great benefits to be derived by belonging to the national league. The best lawyers and talented men of the country are employed to go to the aid of the exhibitor if neccs ' The power the exhibitor may exercise has never been demonstrated. At the present time the condition of the industry is terrible, but all are now beginning to awake to the fact that something big is coming out of the effort to organize. Even now, the national organization has ample funds to assist any State organization in case of trouble, and it will assist it. The Kitchin Bill. The principal men of the country are beginning to realize the power of the motion picture industry. The two highest candidates for office have recognized the power of this industry and have asked for its support. There are now in the New York office of the Exhibitors' League of America letters from every Senator except two, concerning the Kitchin bill The matter of censorship will be straightened out. The National Association of the Motion Picture Industry has done this. It has incorporated under the State of New York, and has opened offices in the Times building, employed a secretary, a man of ability to organize, who although new to this industry, has been an organizer and promoter in other lines. He brings new blood into this industry. He will carry us into a line of politics we have never entered before. I believe he is going to make a valuable secretary. Mr. Brady will devote a lot of time to this association and is bound to make it a success. Besides a lot of the big men, as we term them, have taken off their coats and are putting their shoulders to the wheel. A grievance committee hns been appointed, to whom you can go with your grievances. There will be a looking after competition, and the building of new theaters; in overcrowded localities. For the benefit of some who do not understand what I mean by the Kitchin bill, I will say that this Is a bill by which the exhibitors would be taxed one-half of one per cent, of his gross business. The bill passed Congress In a very unusual way. It was referred to no committee, and it came very near getting through the Senate. But the Kitchin bill is now in such shape that it will not be raised In this session. A great deal of credit must bo given tho Motion Picture Exhibitors' League of America for that. Recent Growth of the Organization. The National Exhibitors' League has gradually come along. A short time ago at San Francisco, there was absolutely less than one hundred and twenty-five exhibitors at the convention. It was pitiful to see this great industry with no organization. Fred Herrington was made president of the League of America, although he did not want the position. He had no books, no treasury, or anything to work with. He used his own money and worked for the league. This year the convention in Chicago was the biggest and best get together spirit ever shown by the exhibitors of the United States. On Thursday morning, after the delegation from New York arrived and. said they wanted to co-operate, thereby showing their interest, fifty of the big exhibitors, or more, that had never affiliated before, were present. The exposition was a big success. It cleaned up in the neighborhood of $12,000, and next year will have in its treasury $50,000. The get together feeling in Chicago did this. I believe that in Lee Ochs they have elected a powerful man, a man who thoroughly understands the industry from A to Z. That the rest of the organization will co-operate and are co-operating with him, was shown recently when the correspondence with all the Senators in regards to the Kitchin bill was gone over. There are a number of wonderful things in store for the national motion picture association. We have five or six propositions lying on the table, whereby the financing of the industry is assured. Men, bearing bank statements showing that they had over a million dollars in that bank, put a wonderful proposition up to us, but we refused. So you can see how the association is going to be financed. The big exhibitor has never gone into the exhibitors' association before, for he has never felt the need of an organization. But during the Chicago convention, Mr. Hamberger, one of the largest exhibitors in the country, connected with over seventy theaters, as a special favor to one of his friends, lent his support to the organization, and called a special meeting at his theater. He was elected as a member of the Executive Committee and is now an enthusiastic worker for the organization. He attended a meeting in New York, and declared that there was not enough money in New York to induce him to resign fram the Executive Board now (although his enthusiasm was small at the beginning), so interested has he become in the work of this organization. A Get-Together Needed. Brother exhibitors, the thing to do is to call a special meeting and get together with the manufacturers. They are willing and anxious to please you. They want to work hand in hand with you and are only waiting to know what you want them to do. I. H. Rubin Sees Need of Twin City Organization. Mr. Gilosky then called upon the largest exhibitor in Minnesota, I. H. Rubin, who said, in part: "The smaller exhibitor relies on the large managers to take care of the difficulties, instead of assisting them, which is entirely wrong. We surely need an organization in the Twin Cities, not one in name only, but one in action. If we do not. we are going to come in contact with some breakers. There are one or two things that have come up here within the last two weeks that have got to be taken care of. The smaller exhibitor has been threatened. Any threat to the little exhibitor will reach the big one. "A few weeks ago we settled the stage hands' demands on us for an increase in salary. At the present time there is going to be an increase in rates in the newspapers, the paying of express, paying for lobby displays, and other unreasonable things. The reason for all this is that they know that there is no organization in the Twin Cities, and the> can get away with these things." Mr. Gilsoky called upon T L. Hays, who made a short speach, but to the point, and he was followed by Mr. Rogers, who graphically described the work of the organization. The Open Meeting. An open meeting was then called. The question of the raise in salary of union operators was brought up by Mr. Gilosky. Mr. Koenig stated that the business agent of the operators' union called on him and wished him to sign a contract, but before doing so. he decided to discuss the matter with the other members of the organization. Mr. Steffes favored hiring non-union men, and paying them more or less than union wages, as he desired. Mr. Gilsoky favored getting a certain scale and sticking to that scale. Mr. Rodgers proposed that a committee of operators meet the Executive Board. Mr. Koenig informed the meeting that the operators were willing to meet the managers at any time. Mr. Chamberlain stated that the matter should be left to arbitration, and that a committee of theater managers meet the operators. Mr. Rodgers moved that a committee be appointed, con